Who Makes 617 or 612 Cameras?

[nick_evans1]

Hi

 

Apart from Fuji, Linhof and Noblex, who else makes these large

panoramic cameras (looking for second hand)?

 

I know there is a Japanese make but forget what they are called...

 

TIA

 

Nick

[paul_owen]

Art Panorama make a 6x17 (with a 6x12 mask) and a 6x24.

[will_legge]

Horseman makes two 6x12 cameras. Art Panorama are out of business.

Fotoman makes very reasonable 6x12 and 6x17 cameras (Badger

Graphics). Panowide makes a 6x12 camera. Glide makes a multi-format

camera from 6x6 to 6x17. Silvestri and Alpa have a 6x12 camera. KST

Eyescan is a 6x24 camera, but that is bigger than you want. Cambo

Wide is a 4x5 camera but can take a 6x12 back.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Canham makes a 6x17cm rollfilm holder for 5x7 view cameras. Glide (a very tiny French

company) makes a wonderful multiformat (up to 6x17) interchangable lens camera. The

V-Pan Mk. III is a 6x17 view camera that was made in St. Louis.

[mark_erickson]

Has anyone here actually seen a Fotoman camera? Opinions?

[tedharris]

There is also a 120/220 size seitz Roundshot. It is an interestingn piece of gear.

[abrepsom1]

I have seen the Fotoman 6x12 and 6x17 cameras at the Photokina in Cologne (Germany) this year and spoke to the guys (two americans).

The cameras seemed rather basic but very solid. The prices were very interesting compared to the Fuji for example:

 

6x12: 1250 USD

6x17: 1600 USD

(without a lens of course)

 

The cameras are made of T6061 aluminium, their weight is 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) resp. 1.82 kg (4.0 lbs)

 

see more on www.fotomancamera.com

 

Kind regards

 

Įder

[tedharris]

FWIW, three years ago I tried out a Roundshot, GX617, G617, Horseman 612 and Noblex 150. I ended up with the Noblex as the one that met my needs best and the one that IMO consistantly produced the sharpest images. It is the 150F.

[paul.droluk]

There is an interesting thread going on in the MF forum regarding the Fotoman Cameras.

[ellis_vener_photography]

yes that intersting thread is from someone who is being compensated with one of your

cameras to write about it. Your cameras are no doubt perfectly fine Paul, they look

beautiful, and hopefully one day I'll own one, but you need to come clean about this "viral

marketing" approach. I mean, really, using photos made with another camera system in

your Photokina booth (for which the photographer who started that thread was paid with a

Fotoman set up)?

[rosswordhouse.com]

Ellis,

Please check with me before you acuse me of something.

 

I am not being paid to write about my 617 fotoman. I traded Paul

four of my images for their 617, end of story. I am sharing my

experience with this camera online because there has been so

much mystery about it. I have one so I want to share, call it good

nature, call it good will, call it bragging rights that I am currently

the only one in the states that has one. I don't care but don't call

me a paid plant by fotoman.

 

I sell stock images all the time. They wanted four of the best vert

pano's that a camera could buy and I wanted a 617 that could

house a 75mm. It's just that simple. Good trade for the both of

us. My images take years to capture, I'm sure that in time

Fotoman will have vert pano's that they can draw apon taken with

their system. But a deadline is a deadline so if a NEW camera

company doesn't have good vert pano's then you go with the next

best thing, stock.

 

rw

www.rosswordhouse.com

[paul.droluk]

Ellis... I have to confess that I don't understand the "viral" comment. I do understand how

you may still feel somehow slighted that we had Kerry Thalmann do the review of our

cameras instead of yourself. It was purely a matter of timing... Kerry asked first. As far as

using Ross' images at Photokina... we used them because they were the most beautiful

verticle pano's we could find. We never claimed that they were made with our cameras, and

Ross received full credit for the photographs. When asked if the images were taken with a

Fotoman camera, we replied FUJI as we knew that to be the case. We used his verticle

images because the booth construction at 'kina had heavy verticle seams every 36 inches,

which prohibited us from using any of the horizontal photo's we have. We'll be shooting

more verticles just for this reason. Frankly, we got off cheap by trading a camera as

payment for his images... have you seen his prices?

[razzledog]

And then there`s a Polaroid 6x12, (and now a 6x17) Excellent alternative that somehow delivers.

http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~razzle<div></div>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Public apology to Ross.

 

Ross I'm sorry I did not mean to impune your integrity, I have indeed misconstrued your

realtionship with Paul D and Fotoman. Best wishes in your future adventures with your

panoramic photography.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Paul,

 

I don't feel slighted at all. Kerry is a better choice to write about this camera than

I'd be as he has a much deeper technical / engineering background than I possess --

I'm just a photographer who has been working with 6x17cm format cameras since 1991

(Fuji, Linhof, Noblex, V-Pan & Canham) -- and can more fully appreciate the technical

aspects of the camera. Also I'm not as oriented towards landscape photography to the

same degree that Kerry (and Ross) are -- and landscape photographers are the natural

market for most 6x17cm format cameras.

 

To be completely clear on this matter it was I who initially proposed a Fotoman article to

V.C. after first learning about the cameras from some posts here on photo.net. Steve or

Tim at V.C. (I forget which of them I talked with) immediately let me know that Kerry was

already working on the review. End of that story from my end.

 

I wish you success with your venture.

[ed_nazarko]

For a less conventional perspective:

 

ZeroImage (www.zeroimage.com) makes a 6x12 pinhole camera that is scary sharp for a pinhole. Focal length is 40mm, film plane is curved, the camera is made from hand-rubbed teak and hand turned brass. Also has masks for smaller image sizes. I don't have this particular camera, but I have seen images close up from one and they're lovely. I have their 4x5 pinhole camera, which allows for variable focal lengths, and with a 50mm focal length pinhole onto 4x5 film, you have to get out to the edge of the image before you see any diffraction blur. My local lab didn't believe it was a pinhole shot until I showed them. Pinhole isn't the answer for every subject or shooter, but it is a viable approach for many images.

[roger_hicks1]

Dear Nick,

 

I have a Fotoman loaner (picked up at photokina to do a Shutterbug review and possibly others) and it's a good, solid, simple camera. I've also used Linhof and Neill Wright's home-made 617 and the simple truth is that if you want this big, beautiful format, the Fotoman is a bargain though I might be inclined to have a lens set up professionally (eg by Bill Orford in the UK) rather than shimming, etc., myself.

 

Cheers,

 

Roger